Q. I know I want 1080P but what other specs should I be looking at? What is a good brand? I'll be using it primarily to watch blu-ray movies and play PS3. What about response time and hertz? Thanks in advance.
And what about the contrast?
And what about the contrast?
A. First thing to consider is the room you are putting the TV in. If the room is very bright and/or has a lot of natural light that may reflect based on where you are planning on putting the TV, then you are probably better off with an LCD. There are not many 42" LCDs, then generally come in 40 and 46 inch, but you probably wouldn't notice the size difference between a 40 and 42 anyway, especially once you get it home.
For good LCDs, you should look at Samsung and Sony, if you are on more of a budget, Toshiba, Hitachi and LG may be good as well, but generally the prices aren't considerably lower. You can consider an LED LCD TV (these just have a backlight made from LEDs instead of the standard CCFL, which is a lot of marketing since people have heard of LEDs but not many know about CCFL). LED-backlit TVs are nice and do have a better picture than standard LCD TVs, but they do cost a good bit more. Honestly, the best way to decide which you want is to check your price range, then go to BestBuy and just look at all the TVs and decide which looks best to you, although if you want the truth, once you bring it home and it's the only TV you see, it's going to look great no matter what.
Back to the main question though, If you do have a room that is averagely lit, not super bright or anything, then a plasma TV may be a better choice. Generally, plasmas give a better picture in these situations (even though they may look a bit dull and faded in the store, that's because of the lights). I personally recommend a Panasonic Plasma. I have had one for a year and a half and it is a great TV. For the first couple weeks you have the TV, you will have to be careful of temporary "image retention" while playing games and such, but it is not as big of a deal as some people make it out to be, and unless you abuse your TV, it will go away quickly.
When it comes to Hertz, this is how many times per second the screen refreshes the image. It is generally meaningless. People will like to tell you that higher refresh rates give a smoother picture, and although there is some truth to this, the effect is just there to reduce choppyness in the image. If you do go for LCD, 120Hz TVs may be a good direction to go if you like what you see (definitely check it out in store though) but don't bother with 240Hz, it's just not worth the extra money for whatever minute improvements it may or may not make. For plasma TVs, the refresh rate will probably be listed like 600Hz or something for some TVs, again, this number is all marketing, just ignore it.
As for response time. This isn't something that's too big of an issue anymore. If the TV has a high response time though (10ms for example is pretty high) then you may see some weird effects when things on the screen start to move quickly. I recommend getting as low as possible, but unless you are buying a cheap brand, this probably won't come up. This only applies to LCDs as well. If you get a plasma, the response time is so short you will never notice it.
Contrast ratios are completely useless. A higher one is better, but since there is no 'standard' way to measure it, you can't really use it to determine much. Your best bet is to look at the TV and see how it looks to you.
Lastly, I recommend finding what you want (or something similar) in a store, then buying it online. It will save you a lot of money, although it does require waiting and may be a hassle depending on where you live, but definitely consider it.
Anyway, sorry for babbling on, but I hope you find this helpful.
For good LCDs, you should look at Samsung and Sony, if you are on more of a budget, Toshiba, Hitachi and LG may be good as well, but generally the prices aren't considerably lower. You can consider an LED LCD TV (these just have a backlight made from LEDs instead of the standard CCFL, which is a lot of marketing since people have heard of LEDs but not many know about CCFL). LED-backlit TVs are nice and do have a better picture than standard LCD TVs, but they do cost a good bit more. Honestly, the best way to decide which you want is to check your price range, then go to BestBuy and just look at all the TVs and decide which looks best to you, although if you want the truth, once you bring it home and it's the only TV you see, it's going to look great no matter what.
Back to the main question though, If you do have a room that is averagely lit, not super bright or anything, then a plasma TV may be a better choice. Generally, plasmas give a better picture in these situations (even though they may look a bit dull and faded in the store, that's because of the lights). I personally recommend a Panasonic Plasma. I have had one for a year and a half and it is a great TV. For the first couple weeks you have the TV, you will have to be careful of temporary "image retention" while playing games and such, but it is not as big of a deal as some people make it out to be, and unless you abuse your TV, it will go away quickly.
When it comes to Hertz, this is how many times per second the screen refreshes the image. It is generally meaningless. People will like to tell you that higher refresh rates give a smoother picture, and although there is some truth to this, the effect is just there to reduce choppyness in the image. If you do go for LCD, 120Hz TVs may be a good direction to go if you like what you see (definitely check it out in store though) but don't bother with 240Hz, it's just not worth the extra money for whatever minute improvements it may or may not make. For plasma TVs, the refresh rate will probably be listed like 600Hz or something for some TVs, again, this number is all marketing, just ignore it.
As for response time. This isn't something that's too big of an issue anymore. If the TV has a high response time though (10ms for example is pretty high) then you may see some weird effects when things on the screen start to move quickly. I recommend getting as low as possible, but unless you are buying a cheap brand, this probably won't come up. This only applies to LCDs as well. If you get a plasma, the response time is so short you will never notice it.
Contrast ratios are completely useless. A higher one is better, but since there is no 'standard' way to measure it, you can't really use it to determine much. Your best bet is to look at the TV and see how it looks to you.
Lastly, I recommend finding what you want (or something similar) in a store, then buying it online. It will save you a lot of money, although it does require waiting and may be a hassle depending on where you live, but definitely consider it.
Anyway, sorry for babbling on, but I hope you find this helpful.
What is the difference between LCD, LED and plasma TV's?
Q. Hi,
Im finally ready to scrap my standard def TV and get with the times.
But looking around, I cant decide WHAT kind of TV i should get.
I dont really watch a lot of movies on tv or watch much cable, But im a huge gamer.
And with the games coming out now a days standard def just sucks.
So can you please explain to me what the difference is with LED LCD and plasma.
I found a nice plasma on future shops site, but dont know if its any good...
http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/lg-electronics-lg-42-720p-600hz-plasma-hdtv-42pj550-42pj550/10140848.aspx?path=b12196d20e0d41e0fb076bc38eed414fen02
Thanks for the help..
Im finally ready to scrap my standard def TV and get with the times.
But looking around, I cant decide WHAT kind of TV i should get.
I dont really watch a lot of movies on tv or watch much cable, But im a huge gamer.
And with the games coming out now a days standard def just sucks.
So can you please explain to me what the difference is with LED LCD and plasma.
I found a nice plasma on future shops site, but dont know if its any good...
http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/lg-electronics-lg-42-720p-600hz-plasma-hdtv-42pj550-42pj550/10140848.aspx?path=b12196d20e0d41e0fb076bc38eed414fen02
Thanks for the help..
A. Firstly, LCD and LED TVs are the same thing with only one little difference - in an LED TV the back light is made up of a bunch of white LEDs rather than one flourescent light bulb. The LEDs mean that the TV can turn those LEDs down a bit when the screen is showing darker stuff, which makes them have higher contrast and a better picture than a standard LCD. LEDs are also more energy efficient.
Plasma screens are generally the best looking, highest contrast, images. Only better than LED by a hair, but visibly better than LCD. LED has the best energy efficiency, LCD has the middle ground, and Plasma uses the most energy.
Above all else, make absolutely sure you get a 1080p screen if you're going above 32". That screen you linked to is 720p - yuck! This is the resolution of the screen, and it says how many horizontal lines of resolution the screen has. 720p = 1280x720, 1080p= 1920x1080 - 1080p is -MUCH- better, particularly for games.
Plasma screens are generally the best looking, highest contrast, images. Only better than LED by a hair, but visibly better than LCD. LED has the best energy efficiency, LCD has the middle ground, and Plasma uses the most energy.
Above all else, make absolutely sure you get a 1080p screen if you're going above 32". That screen you linked to is 720p - yuck! This is the resolution of the screen, and it says how many horizontal lines of resolution the screen has. 720p = 1280x720, 1080p= 1920x1080 - 1080p is -MUCH- better, particularly for games.
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